The new table stakes for young voters

What Michigan signals, and why labels matter less than policies and vibes.

I held a Gen Z focus group on Tuesday, right as the primary was underway in Michigan.

The group included three young women from Michigan who had all voted for Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate who won the state’s Democratic Senate primary, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens, the more moderate candidate.

While I could spend time discussing the results in Michigan Tuesday in a vacuum, focusing on campaign finance and PAC money or Israel, which were central topics, the general theme of the focus group signals far more about where young Americans are at and the vibes they’re looking for ahead of November than any single issue.

Amid mounting economic anxiety, big broad social policies have become Gen Z voters’ table stakes — especially on the left.

As one 19-year-old put it, young voters are not “asking for too much” by demanding social services. From healthcare to tuition support, that’s what this boils down to.

I asked the voters in Tuesday’s group all my usual questions:

• The top issues impacting them

• The candidates doing a good job right now

• & what they’re looking for from politicians and government

Asked what they’re looking for from politicians, the voters described a mix of social policies and a social, be-where-the-people-are, kind of politics.

What is one thing you’re looking for from a political candidate right now?

“A political candidate that understands the common person,” said a 21-year-old from Midland, Michigan. “Someone that’s not financially out of touch, who doesn’t take money from different corporations. Someone who understands the struggles of an everyday American and knows what’s going on with the economy and can understand the struggles of students, children, families. That’s really what I’m looking for.”

“A candidate [who] advocates for what is possible,” said a 19-year-old, also from Michigan. “A candidate who isn’t afraid to say that we deserve more as citizens, and that more is possible. I feel like a lot of corporations and a lot of the politicians who are funded by PAC money want us to believe that we, as a country, don’t have the possibility to have Medicare For All or more social services, but we do. So if we have a candidate that advocates for that, I would like to see that.”

These young voters are asking to be seen and heard. They described the way inflation has impacted their daily lives — from rising costs of education to equipment needed for their school and work and even gas — and they’re looking for someone who they feel gets where they’re coming from and who is willing to do something about it.

But it’s not just that. Here’s more of what I heard.

I asked the group what they see as the biggest misconception about their generation right now, and this same young woman, 19 and from Ann Arbor Michigan, said, plainly put:

“That we’re asking for too much.”